The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 276



Only Noblemtl

276. Threats disguised as help (1)

There were a few things that made me uncomfortable when I became president.

When I was vice president, I could go on business trips with peace of mind because my grandfather was there.

Now that I had coordinated all my schedules, I was able to leave for a business trip to the United States for just a few days.

“Boss! Hey, you’ve definitely changed since you became the chairman. Should I say the energy is different?”

“You say your face is dry because you have so much to do. I really haven’t slept more than 3 hours a day these days.”

David was waiting for me from the airport.

We headed to the fintech bank with him.

Originally, it should have gone to SAVE Investment Company, but now that it has merged with Taewoo Securities, it was not suitable for conducting secret operations.

“I have an appointment with the presidential candidate for lunch tomorrow. Perhaps because the presidential candidate is from Hawaii, he wants to meet at a traditional Hawaiian restaurant.”

“It’s not bad. But things are going very interesting these days.”

“The Bush administration’s approval ratings dropped to the worst due to the subprime mortgage crisis, so the Democratic Party had a reflex effect, but recently, as the situation seemed to have calmed down, approval ratings began to shift towards the Republican Party again.”

The most important thing in the presidential election was, of course, approval ratings.

That’s why presidential candidates looked at the approval rating graph every day and had mixed emotions.

Especially these days, when first and second place are reversed within a few days, every day is a blood-curdling moment, which is why Rep. Obama requested a meeting with me.

“You must be very upset.”

“It’s the same for me. No matter how much money we have provided so far, if we lose in the next presidential election, we are not safe.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen. If I think something like that will happen, I can come forward myself.”

It was said to reassure David.

Although I intervened in history, I did not intervene to the extent of changing the major trends.

I was just putting into my mouth what was meant to be in someone else’s mouth.

“Boss! We’ve arrived at the fintech bank. I’m already starting to feel nauseous when I think of Dimon bragging about being the chairman.”

“Dimon will be even more envious of David. How hard can he be to save CITI Group, which is in deep debt? He will probably be a few years older in the meantime.”

“I’ll have to look at your face and make a decision. If your face looks good, I’ll start swearing right away.”

Dimon becomes the chairman of a financial group, and David envies him.

But the envy didn’t last even 10 minutes, and the moment David saw Dimon’s face, he started pouring out worried words.

“Why is your face like this? You don’t even have time to sleep? How can someone become like this in just a few months?”

“It wasn’t about buying CITI Group. We should have just continued to grow the fintech bank. We got into this situation because of our needless greed.”

“Sit down first. Your legs are shaking right now.”

David helped Dimon and sat him down on the sofa.

Even if Dimon was an expert in restructuring and corporate stabilization, stabilizing CITI Group, the world’s largest financial group, was a difficult task.

“It seems like it’s still very difficult.”

“Don’t even talk about it. We only expanded in quantity, not in substance. We don’t even have time to eat because we’re cutting unnecessary people and eliminating money-sucking business units. So these days, we’re eating fast food for every meal.”

I was able to understand his mind best.

In order to stabilize AIZ, I was checking the list of employees while losing less sleep.

“AIZ has finally completed its restructuring.”

“I’m jealous. I’m really jealous.”

“Can I help you a little? Give me the list of executives and I will score them in my own way.”

“If you just do that, I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life.”

“I heard that the chairman of another company interferes with personnel affairs, but don’t you like it too much?”

“It’s not anyone else, it’s the boss! Of course, if someone from another company said something like that, they’d grab you by the collar, but the boss has better eyes than anyone I know, so I can trust you.”

Did I say something unnecessary?

If another company had this problem, I would have completely ignored it.

I couldn’t ignore the fintech bank because I could see it as my own bank.

“First, let’s start with the executive level list, and if time remains, let’s check the management level as well.”

“Thank you so much. I will bow deeply.”

It was Daimon who suddenly got down on his knees and bowed.

Having lived in Korea for quite some time, he had even learned Korean culture.

“Don’t do anything weird, let’s start by discussing the situation on Wall Street. How is the atmosphere going these days?”

“In fact, it’s like the calm before the storm. Some people are predicting that the storm of the subprime mortgage crisis is over, but in my view, the real storm hasn’t arrived yet.”

It was Dimon who had the same thoughts as me.

This was the reason I recruited him, and it was also the reason I put him in charge of the fintech bank and CITI Group.

“I don’t think there will be many businesses that will survive once the storm is over.”

“Depending on how we move, the number of companies that will survive may decrease or increase.”

“We plan to create an Asian base for surviving financial companies in Korea.”

“Are you planning to spare companies that move their Asian bases to Korea and kill those that oppose it?”

“What power do I have to kill someone? I just act according to principles and contracts.”

“There are only a few financial companies that will survive if you demand insurance money as per the contract.”

“Isn’t there a need for us to consider that?”

Dimon nodded.

While we were busy focusing our efforts on stabilizing the CITI Group, it was pointless to consider the circumstances of other companies.

“Then, can I come forward and meet with the representatives of financial companies?”

“If you do, I would be grateful.”

“Ah! Of course, we will move the Asian base of the fintech bank and CITI Group to Korea. All you have to do is tell us where to move.”

“We can move after four years at the earliest. We haven’t even broken ground yet. All we have to do is receive a contract to move the Asian base once the financial building is completed.”

“If it’s 4 years from now, there’s still room. It would be better to promise 4 years from now rather than going bankrupt right away, so most financial companies will sign the contract.”

It was difficult to move it right now.

Even if you are moving the Asian base rather than the headquarters, it will cost a considerable amount of money.

But four years later, it wasn’t much of a burden.

Since it is difficult to promise tomorrow, it would be much better to sign the contract and reduce the burden of the insurance contract.

“You can proceed with the contract like that, and the fintech bank should take over the work that SAVE Investment Company has been doing so far. I am sorry for giving you more work when you are already very busy.”

“Of course, this is what a fintech bank should do. Lobbying in American politics and managing companies held under borrowed names by SAVE Investment Company are not very unreasonable things.”

It was not possible to bring the entire SAVE investment company to Taewoo Group.

There was a lot of work that had to be done in secret, and management had to be divided into several companies to prevent them from violating monopoly laws.

And another advantage.

Fintech banks were able to move freely because they were entirely American financial companies.

However, because SAVE Investment Company was closely related to Taewoo Group, there were bound to be some restrictions.

“We will continue to help you with future investment directions.”

“I would be grateful if you could just do that. Thanks to the boss’ advice so far, the fintech bank has been able to generate high rates of return. If the current rate of return can be maintained in the future, we will be able to raise enough funds to stabilize CITI Group. There are still some left.”

Unlike investment companies, banks focused on stability.

However, fintech banks achieved enormous returns through aggressive investments, and this was possible thanks to information provided by SAVE Investment Company.

“Once this situation calms down, there will be no major issues for the time being. Still, I will recommend stocks that can generate steady profits.”

“If large-scale incidents like this occur frequently, the world economy will not survive. And since the economic crisis will continue for the next few years, it is beneficial not to just look at negative returns.”

They said there were no major incidents left in the future.

It was not that there were no financial items that could generate large profits.

And there was one item that was perfect for a fintech bank.

“How is Bitcoin doing these days?”

“This is the first item created by a boss that doesn’t make a profit like this. Few people trade it, and it’s only used to a small extent in the gaming industry.”

“After some time, it will be traded more than most currencies. So, start creating and operating a Bitcoin exchange now.”

Bitcoin was created right away.

However, the price of Bitcoin was so low that Dimon complained.

But there was one thing he didn’t know.

The fact is that the current price is 2 to 3 times higher than before the regression.

Bitcoin was released to the world early, and arrangements were made for it to be used in the IT industry, including the gaming industry, so the price of Bitcoin was rising faster than before the regression.

“If no one uses it, will the number of users increase just because we create an exchange? We must say that Bitcoin has no practical use yet.”

“Haven’t you experienced the IT bubble and the real estate bubble yourself? When you’re swept up in the madness, practicality goes out of sight.”

“Do you think madness will come to Bitcoin as well?”

“It will definitely come. So, if you get there early, you can have a lot of fun later.”

The moment madness comes.

Bitcoin is traded in countless ways.

Even with a 1% commission, the exchange was able to generate at least 10 trillion won in sales.

And since financial businesses using Bitcoin can generate a lot of revenue, there was no reason not to take the lead from now on.

“Since the boss said so, we will prepare a Bitcoin exchange as soon as possible.”

“It will be a strong cash cow for fintech banks.”

“Which bank would create a virtual currency exchange other than a fintech bank? It fits well with the image of Silicon Valley.”

Dimon said with a complicated expression.

Since it was an item that could increase sales, of course my face had to be bright, but I couldn’t just smile because I had to sleep again due to the mountain of work piled up.

We prepared another gift for Dimon.

It was a gift that helped Dimon get some sleep.

“I’ll send David to the fintech bank. Since the fintech bank has decided to handle political lobbying, wouldn’t that make sense?”

“Boss, boss! Are you telling me to go under Dimon?”

“Thank you! Just having David come will save us a lot of work!”

“Do you really have to go?”

“I’ll treat you well! I’ll give you the rank of vice president right away. I’ll give you a raise in salary and a generous bonus.”

David keeps taking a step back.

Dimon moves forward every time he utters a word.

I stood up, leaving the two who already seemed to be getting along very well.

“I guess I’ll just have to go. I can’t be late for my appointment with the presidential candidate, so I have to leave now.”

“Boss! You should take me too.”

“I will go on this trip alone. David will have a lot of work to do at the fintech bank, so I can’t bother him.”

So I left David at the fintech bank and went out alone.

All that remains now is a meeting with the next US president.

I made up my mind that I had to leave a good impression somehow so that the next eight years would be comfortable.